Walls
by Fruity-Fruit-Cups
Summary: Some walls aren't meant to be broken. If Roxas had known that before he picked up that controller, maybe he wouldn't have gotten into this mess.
1. Realization

(update as of 7/2/11) Holy mother of god it's been forever since I've updated this story. Well, I'm glad to say that this super-long hiatus is finally over. I went through so many stages trying to decide what to do with this story, and finally, I've decided to keep it. And keep writing it. And finish it.

If you're a new reader, hello and welcome to a very depressing story. If you're an old reader, I'm surprised you've stuck around for so long. This is a sequel of sorts to my old story, Organization Sue, though you don't need to have read that one to understand this one. Basically, Roxas played the entire KH series (minus Re:Coded, because when I first wrote this, it wasn't released yet.), and to top it all off he was kidnapped and is now _slightly_ mentally imbalanced. So...umm...enjoy!

P.S Ignore the stupid formatting; FFn doesn't like me.

**0 X 0 X 0**

Two figures sat across from each other, absorbed in their own activities. The girl lazily sketched out a drawing, while the boy was preoccupied with the device in his hands. Occasionally they would glance up at each other; the girl so she could use him as her model, and the boy to make sure that she hadn't left.

Even though their bodies were young, both barely started on the road to adulthood, their eyes showed that they had knowledge far beyond their years. Both of them had seen the world as they know it shatter around them. Without help, they were forced to pick up the pieces and reassemble it into a place where they could live.

But it wasn't the same.

The girl, having finished her sketch, put it on the table as she got up to retrieve her crayons. She glanced over to her companion. "Roxas? How far are you?"

The boy slowly looked up at her. "Almost done with Ven's story. Then I'm going to Final Episode," he responded. "I should be done in a few hours."

"Alright," she said, calmly smiling as she retrieved favorite drawing tools: 64 crayons in mint condition. They were a present from a friend of hers. A friend...who wasn't here anymore.

Roxas had brought the news to her just a few hours ago. He seemed detached, like the world of his game kept her death from fully sinking in. He kept playing it, muttering about how he promised to give it back when he was done. While he wasn't sure what to do with the silver device (called a PSP, apparently), he knew he had to keep it safe in case she ever returned.

"Hey, Namine?" The sudden break of the peaceful silence made her jump. "What can we do about Xion?"

Namine smiled sadly. Xion was her first real friend. Sure, Sora was kind to her when they met, but she had to tamper with his memories to ensure nobody would figure out her plan. It had worked, since she had succeeded in keeping the Organization alive as well as letting Xion come into existence. Since she had a better control over her powers than last time, she was able to slowly pull Sora's memories out of both Xion and Roxas without sacrificing their existence. Though she feared for Roxas's life in case he ever met Sora.

Unlike Sora, Xion liked Namine, not because she was Kairi's nobody, but because they were friends. Now that one of her closest friends might have been killed before her own eyes, she had pushed away all attempts at comfort and support. Namine wanted to help, but there was nothing she could do about it.

"We can't do anything right now. I think," she paused, searching for the right words to convey her thoughts, "that Xion is the heroine of her own story. Not ours."

Roxas looked at her, momentarily confused, but her words managed to reach him and he nodded, understanding what she meant.

** 0 X 0 X 0**

Roxas smiled at the golden Mickey Mouse icon on the reports screen by Ven's face. Pride at his accomplishment swelled within his chest, right where he thought his heart would be. His lack of a heart wasn't really something that concerned him – he thought he was good enough just as he was, but he decided to help the others get their own hearts.

Except Xemnas, who was a touchy subject. Roxas knew he was evil, but he wasn't sure what exactly he should do about it. Xemnas was the one who made himself and Xion fight to the death, and he was also the one who tried to destroy everything...

In a parallel world. According to Namine (his new favorite source for answers, above even Axel), like regular worlds in the multiverse, there were parallel multiverses. Countless numbers of them exist, each slightly different than its neighbors. In the one he played through, Xemnas was indeed evil.

That's why he was wary of Birth By Sleep's credibility. Sure, the events of Kingdom Hears I did happen, and Sora _thought_ that Chain of Memories happened, but the events of his own game were thoroughly averted. Thankfully - he didn't want to go back to Sora. 'Being whole and meeting his other self' be damned. He liked being Roxas.

In his mind, Ventus was better. He's nicer and less impulsive but just as friendly. Plus he doesn't end up killing everyone he knows. Ven doesn't ruin lives.

Roxas happily loaded his Final Episode file, eager to see what would happen. Where Aqua would take him.

He called Namine over, and she leaned over his shoulder and watched as the file loaded. She wanted to watch what happened too, as opposed to hearing Roxas's spotty account of the events.

**0 X 0 X 0**

He tried not to drop the PSP in his hands. The pieces, the guesses, the assumption were all falling into place, melding into one solid theory. Now, as the screen showed younger versions of Sora and Riku, both himself and the blonde leaning over his shoulder tried their best not to panic.

It made sense, but at the same time, they wished it didn't.

One of the walls crumbled slightly, just enough for a pair of black ovals to peek out at the blonds.


	2. Power

For anyone reading The Sue Committee (now abbreviated TSC), it won't be up for a while. ^^;; Over the last two weeks, I've literally only been writing this in short 30 minute bursts at 5 in the morning before I leave for school. So I worked on Walls first, since I didn't know what to do for TSC. Now I do, so TSC will probably be up next week. I hope.

Why am I only spending so little time on it? Well, I have a story I'm writing for National Novel Writing Month, and I've been working nonstop on that. But since I finished this chapter, I took some time to proofread it and now I'm putting it up. Speaking of proofreading, anyone want to be a Beta for this/TSC? If you want to be one, just tell me. I'd gladly accept you. :)

NOW FOR THIS CHAPTER. Roxas is just such a badass. Seriously, he's just epic. You kick him in the face, HE ROASTS YOUR ASS IN PURE LIGHT OF AWESOME. I'd like to see Xemnas top THAT.

Oh, and when he's doing his inner monologue, there's a reason he's a little OOC. There are two Alternate Character Interpretations that people generally use for Roxas: Uke!Roxas and Snarxas (Snark!Roxas). He was very much Snarxas in Organization Sue, but I broke him. So now he's a little...off the deep end. Oh, and Uke!Roxas can go jump in a hole for all I care. Yaoi fangirls (why are you reading this, if any of you are out there?), don't kill me.

That's a long A/N. Thank you reviewers and readers, I love you guys. Dedicated again to Roxas, because I'm sorry for breaking you and making you get kicked in the face by a Deserter. It didn't bruise, at least.

* * *

"Roxas, today you'll be going to Wonderland to exterminate Deserters." Saix said, shoving a few pieces of paper into the boy's hands. Roxas wrapped his fingers around the papers, but his mind was in a far-off place.

If Birth By Sleep really happened, then that meant...Xemnas was really a version of Terra. Aqua's somewhere in the realm of darkness, cursed to travel it until _Sora _comes to save her. Hell, if the events of his own game ever happened, _Sora_ was destined to save himself, Xion, and Axel. If they were lucky, the others would get saved.

Roxas could save himself. He didn't need any impulsive kid with an oversized key helping him. _Sora_, the almighty _Sora_, savior to us all, was asleep in a giant flower in Twilight Town.

Roxas had no intentions of ending his or anyone else's summer vacation anytime soon. _Sora_ can stay in that flower for all of eternity if it meant his life and his friends being able to exist. And if Riku got in his way...Roxas wouldn't give him the time to unleash his darkness.

But all of those thoughts were speck of dust compared to the one theory that had put him into this trance: he had a heart.

It was Ven's heart. _He_ had _Ven's_ heart. Ven; that sweet boy who did nothing to deserve such a horrible fate. That's why he was special. He did have a heart, but would he have to give it back? What would happen to him then? He didn't have it in him to just leave the poor boy asleep in Castle Oblivion for eternity, but he wasn't going to die just to have Ven wake up.

_ Roxas, we're not even sure if they exist in our world. Before you make any rash decisions, please find some way to make sure that Aqua, Terra, and Ven actually existed. Don't wear yourself out for nothing._ Namine's words echoed in his head. Namine was right. He had never even heard of them before, in his own reality. For all he knew, they only existed in that parallel dimension.

For all he know, Xehanort was a young, dashing man who was born to a loving young couple. He was so accomplished in the fields of science and math that Ansem the Wise, king of Radiant Garden, noticed his mental prowess and quickly made him an apprentice. The events that set off everything that happened to himself and the others was because of an experiment gone wrong.

"Roxas? Go away already. You've been standing there for 10 minutes." Saix's words brought a small part of him back to reality.

"Oh, yeah, sure. Bye Isa." He walked into a dark corridor, leaving a stunned Saix behind him.

* * *

Wonderland: A vast, confusing world full of confusing things. If it wasn't that doorknob falling asleep before Roxas could reach the door, it was that stupid queen sending her soldiers on some wild goose chase and turning an otherwise easy mission into a difficult one.

Kill this giant monstrosity of horrors beyond your very imagination that could rip out your soul and eat your eyes like little grapes, but don't get caught doing it! Roxas rolled his eyes. Maybe he should kidnap the queen or her soldiers. Then they'd stay out of his way.

But his _Superiors_ wouldn't be happy to hear about that, since that would count as 'upsetting the worlds balance.' If he could avoid the queen and her lackeys today, then it would make his mission go a lot faster.

He drank from one of the bottles from the table and started to shrink down until he was just a fraction of his previous height. He heard Ven's (his?) voice in his head, saying, "how did I get so small?" Although since Roxas had been to Wonderland many times before and had drank that same drink many times before, he knew exactly why he was so small.

His thought process was interrupted when the sound of dozens of pieces of metal clanking together suddenly started. The Deserters were here, and by the looks of it, they decided to all come out at the same time. He could destroy them in many different ways, but he settled on the coolest way.

They circled around him, momentarily stopping their frantic dash around the Bizarre room to get ready to strike. As if on cue, several of them launched themselves at Roxas, causing him to stagger back. They broke back into their frantic run as a second wave of Deserters became ready to strike. He sighed, knowing that it would take a while before he could actually start his plan.

So he waited. Wave after wave of Deserters came at him, barely denting his strength with each attack. He brushed off each attack, honestly wishing that they would throw something a little more powerful at him. Growing bored, he started to check through his arsenal of magic. Hoping that it would anger the Deserters and provoke them into hitting him harder, Roxas launched a Fire spell at a nearby Deserter. The flames engulfed the Heartless, melting away the layers of darkness until finally a heart burst out of the last few layers and floated into the sky.

The other Deserters stopped to watched their comrade vanish. After the heart floated into the sky, they turned their attention to Roxas and launched a full-out assault on the boy. He simply grinned and took it, waiting for himself to get weaker and weaker.

After being smacked in the face by a Deserter's foot (they smell a little like cheese, he noted), he felt it; now he could use the attack. With a wicked grin, he brought out both Oblivion and Oathkeeper and unleashed his limit break.

A blue aura surrounded his Keyblades. He went on a rampage, swinging and throwing his Keyblades at anything and everything that moved. Deserters left and right were destroyed; their bodies slashed to pieces by the rampaging Keyblade wielder. Hearts burst into the sky like confetti.

Most of the Deserters were destroyed, but he knew that now he could unleash his favorite part of his limit break. Raising his Keyblades high into the air, he touched them together, unleashing a huge burst of light that rushed outwards, covering the entire Bizzare room in it's blue glow. Every last Deserter vaporized, their bodies literally melting away into nothing. If Roxas wasn't too busy enjoying the sheer amount of power he had unleashed, he would have heard their shrieks of pain that sounded vaguely human.

Satisfied with himself, he opened a dark corridor and left Wonderland to go to his favorite spot.

* * *

Roxas sat on top of the clock tower, lazily chewing away at his ice cream and thinking about his life.

Thinking. He did that a lot. Little did he know, most of the other members thought he didn't have a brain to think with. He used to be their favorite child, but now Xion was now their favorite, since she was the one who got rid of the Sues and he seemed to have gone off the deep end. Axel was the only exception; liking Roxas slightly more than Xion, and no, not because he was attracted to him. As Roxas would say: you sick perverts. Axel just liked the boy more.

He knew that he was only getting hearts so Xemnas could take over Kingdom Hearts. What else could he do? Kill Xemnas? It was possible if he got help, but then what would he do? Larxene and Marluxia were planning a coup, and Axel and Saix had _some_ hidden agenda. Xigbar could possibly be using Xemnas for who knows why. What would happen if he died?

And what about Terra? If he was real, then what would happen to him?

"It's just so confusing..." he muttered, taking another bite of his ice cream. His thoughts were interrupted by a chill taking over his brain. He shivered, feeling the cold spread all around his brain; completely freezing over his train of thought. He grit his teeth, trying to get it to go away. This hadn't happened before to him, even though it had happened to the others a few times. He barely managed to hiss:

"Ahh! Brain freeze!"

He held his head in agony, feebly rubbing his temples in an attempt to make the pain go away. He sat there for several minutes, cursing under his breath (even though, as far as he knew, there was nothing around to hear him), hoping for his mind to be useable again. He was so wrapped up in his aching head that he paid no attention to the several pairs of black eyes staring at him from around the corner of the clock tower. The eyes all blinked at seemingly random times. The blinking grew faster and faster until they all blinked in unison, almost as if they were agreeing on something.

When he finally managed to open his eyes, the ones watching him disappeared. He looked down at his ice cream, realizing with a start that the popsicle stick had something messily engraved on it. He dropped the stick out of shock, regaining his senses in a flash and opening a dark corridor.

Maybe Roxas should have taken the time to wonder how and why that was on the popsicle stick. Maybe he should have ignored it. But he didn't. Nor did he wonder why he should care.

He didn't hear footsteps coming up the stairs and calmly walking towards him. By the time the footsteps stopped, their owner reaching his destination, Roxas was already long gone, hurdling himself through the dark corridor he created. He didn't hear the sad sigh, nor was he even aware of the muttered, "Rox, I thought you were here...what happened to you?"

The stick fell down the tower, splintering in half when it hit the hard stone ground. One half had a messily carved _Kai_ on it, while the other half had _ri_ carved into it.


	3. Paopu Trees Are Uncomfortable To Lay On

Ohay Namine you should really patch up that wall. You don't want a draft, do you?

Anyways this chapter is really the start of all the bad stuff. So my new plan is, from now on, to give each chapter a ridiculous title. Mood dissonance and all. :3

One day I want this fic to be on TvTropes. Now it's too early, but one day...and I want the comments to talk about how screwed up it is. xD I'd be so happy if that happened.

Poor Kairi. She just got caught up in this horrible web of sadness. Imagine how she'd react if she actually got her memories back.

I would have posted sooner, but I'd had a crazy schedule this week. I'm in show choir, and we were having super late practices to prepare for our show, which ended yesterday. I haven't gotten home until about 9 each night. I went there at five, and I got home from school at about 2:30, leaving only a little bit of time for me to do anything. So today was spent as a day of rest and writing. Lots of writing.

Dedicated to (you guessed it!) Roxas, and now the character whose new theme song (for this fic) is Dear You from Higurashi No Naku Koro Ni.

* * *

Roxas stumbled out of the other end of the dark corridor, falling face first into a pile of sand. Spitting the sand out of his mouth, he lifted himself into a sitting position.

Destiny Islands. Where so many _stars_ grew up. The ones who get to live and be happy. The ones who adore _Sora_. Why did they deserve it? Why not himself, Axel, and Xion? They didn't do anything wrong in this universe. Nobody died at their hands.

He watched as a girl stepped out of a boat and tied it to a small piece of wood sticking out of the sand. She carefully stepped onto the boardwalk, and upon noticing him, started to walk to him.

Roxas recognized the long magenta hair. She was wearing a white collared shirt with a blue tie that matched her plaid skirt; her school's uniform. Her face, especially her cobalt eyes, reminded him so much of Xion, but then again Xion was a Replica of memories of this girl.

Kairi. Just who he came here for. If Roxas had realized that someone might have planted that carving as a trap, he might not have come. If he had just left the stick, blaming it on chance, he wouldn't have come. But none of those things ever crossed his mind. They never would.

All he knew was that the stick had told him to go to Kairi, so he did.

"Who are you?" she asked, crouching down next to him. Instantly a flare of emotions whirled within his mind.

This was Kairi. _Sora's_ friend. The one _he_ cared about the most. It would hurt _him_ if she was hurt. If she was chained up right in front of _his_ eyes and tortured, while _he_ could only watch, unable to lift a single finger to help...that would hurt _him_ so badly. _He'd_ never be able to recover. _He_ would know what it would feel like to have someone close to _him_ die.

But...Kairi was like Xion in so many ways. Kairi was innocent; a princess of heart. One that Ven would protect.

What would Ven say if he did? Surely he would be mad. He didn't want Ven to be mad at him; especially not hate him. Hurting Kairi, an innocent girl who did nothing wrong, would make Ven hate him. Only a terrible person could ever make someone as sweet and pure as Ven hate them; Roxas wasn't a terrible person.

_But she gets to live. You and your friends don't. Hurt Kairi. Make her suffer. Make her writhe in pain and make Sora hurt. Make them both scream in agony. Get revenge._

_Help Kairi. Protect Kairi. Keep her safe from any harm. Innocents don't deserve to be hurt. That would be murder, not revenge._

Roxas's clutched his head in agony. The opposing thoughts were waging a full out war inside of his head, which only started with renewed vigor whenever he so much as stole a glance at Kairi's worried expression. It only got worse when she reached out, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. Pain unlike anything he had ever felt before erupted in his head, coursing through his veins. He fell onto the sand screaming, oblivious to Kairi's worried shouts. He hoped that he would just pass out already and get the pain over with.

When the sweet relief of unconsciousness finally took over, for a split second he saw a rabbit standing on two legs, watching him with unblinking eyes.

* * *

Namine sat at her usual spot, drawing in her notebook and wondering about life. It wasn't that hard to break through the firewall on Ansem's computer; after all, Xion had done it by accident on the Organization's computer. She just had to make sure that no one else knew what she was doing. If they found out about the truth...well, she might have to end up playing psychiatrist to more than just Roxas.

So she researched. She researched about those games about their lives, and even found a few pictures. The story of the games was what happened in the original universe; the one she was trying so hard to avoid. As for the pictures, well the ones she had found were all innocent. Though she only searched on a certain website claiming to be something like a guide to the entire series.

There were a few things that bugged her about the universe they were in now. In the original universe, Roxas gained the second Keyblade because he absorbed Xion. Yet here, he could easily wield both Oathkeeper and Oblivion without ever hurting her. While she had no explanation for that, she did know that they were both alive and well because of her newfound control over her powers. (In fact, Sora would be waking up any day now.) She didn't know what else she could do, and personally, she wasn't sure if she wanted to find out.

Another thing was that if Ven was kept in Castle Oblivion, then how come Roxas didn't pass out when he was kept in there? That's why he always passed out in the original world – Ven's heart was reacting to his body being so close. She decided to blame it on the Sue magic – after all, it wouldn't be the first thing they had messed with. If they were able to disable the Organization's dark corridors around the area, then it wouldn't be much of a stretch to think that they had sealed off the room Ven was kept in. She doubted they had found Ven in there...she wasn't even sure if they even knew who he was. According to the website she was visiting, the game he starred in had come out a while after the Sues had come to bother them.

Namine was jolted out of her thoughts (her pencil drawing a sudden and very unwelcome line in the middle of her drawing) when she heard something crumble. One of the walls looked odd. She got up and placed her notebook on the table before approaching the wall.

Small bits of the wall had crumbled away. The holes were big enough for her to stick her hand through. Curious, she knelt down and tried to peer through the hole, but a blinding white light kept her from seeing what was on the other side.

Namine quickly backed away. Something about the wall felt...wrong; like she wasn't supposed to be near it. Like she wasn't supposed to know about it. Shaking her head, she stepped away, returning to her table and picking up her drawing.

The blank page was finally starting to turn into a beautiful picture. A rough, messy outline of a large paopu tree framed the outside. Small paopu fruits hung from the leaves

One figure, with a masculine body lied on the tree. Kneeling down next to him was the figure of a girl, probably around her age. While the girl was turned towards the boy, the boy's face was looking past her, as if he was looking straight at Namine. A huge, thick line separated the two figure's faces. Grabbing her pencil, she set to erasing the huge gray line that was drawn in-between the two figures, whom she assumed to be Sora and Kairi.

* * *

Kairi stared at the unconscious boy next to her, unable to move. She was the only person who ever came to this island anymore, and yet she found someone who didn't even live on this island here. She knew everyone in town, and nobody in their right mind would wear a heavy leather coat in the mild weather the islands were blessed with.

She leaned down slightly, reaching down to the boy's now peaceful face and lifting it up slightly. It seemed so familiar, like she had known him before.

Was this boy...him? She couldn't remember his face, or his voice, but he was a lingering shadow in her memories. He was always there with herself and Riku, laughing and playing games with them. She would sit on the sand and watch them spar with the wooden swords she had made.

If they were so close, then why couldn't she remember anything about him? The girl had only gotten by on the hopes that she would recognize him when she saw him again. He would have to come back to this island sooner or later; their safe haven.

Kairi looked at the boy's face again. This feeling that she had known him before must mean that he was the boy. Why did he scream like that then? He looked like he was in so much pain...it hurt just to watch.

Kairi cleared those thoughts away. Right now, she needed to get him to a better place. She stood up, circling around the boy, trying to find a decent place where she could pick him up at. After settling on his waist, she wrapped her arms around his am tried to pull him up. She got his torso off the ground, but part of his legs still dragged against the sand.

She wouldn't be able to row him back to the main island then drag him somewhere safe. Looking around, she spotted the paopu tree on the platform a little ways away. He would be safe there.

After using most of her strength to carry him to the platform, she picked him up one final time and lied him down on the tree. They used to sit there together and watch the sunset, waiting for one of their parents to come pick them up. Riku would always lean against the trunk while she and the boy would sit together on the tree.

Kairi sat down on the sand and watched the boy, waiting for him to wake up. The sun was starting to set, and if she didn't get back soon, her parents would get worried. "Please wake up soon," she whispered. "I want to talk to you."

* * *

Roxas's eyes slowly opened to see Kairi's blurred figure. While the war that raged inside of his head was finally over, he still had a fairly nasty headache.

He decided to take a third option; to neither help nor hurt Kairi. He would wait to see what she had to say. Ven would be proud of him if he did that, right?

She watched him with a worried expression. "Are you alright?" She asked nervously. When he nodded, her anxiousness melted away, revealing a huge smile on her face. "It's good to have you back."

Roxas stared at the girl in confusion. He looked nothing like _him_. The only similarity they had were their eyes; the same dark shade of blue. Maybe...maybe that's why she thought that he's _Sora._

Kairi giggled. "I guess the amnesia works both ways. I'm Kairi. You, me, and Riku used to play on this island when we were kids. Remember?"

Roxas stared at her. Nobody was supposed to remember _him_, yet she did - even if it was just a tiny fragment. Unsure of what to do, Roxas nodded slowly. "I'm...Roxas." _I can't believe you think I'm Sora._

"Well, Roxas," she dragged out his name, trying to get used to the feel of it, "we still need to find Riku."

He held back a snort. Riku was with _him,_ making sure that _he_ would wake up without any trouble. He was with Namine and Ansem the Wise, acting as a mindless puppet. Roxas wanted nothing to do with the bastard. "Yeah, sure," he said bitterly, his voice laced with sarcasm.

Kairi didn't pick up the sarcasm, instead choosing to give him another smile. She leaned in closer, making Roxas instinctively lean back. What was she going to do to him?

With a light breath of laughter, she closed the distance between them, placing a soft kiss on his lips. "I'm glad you're back with me, Roxas."

He could only stare in shock.


	4. Boxes O' Duck

So, enjoyed the twist from the last chapter? I certainly did. ^^ Poor Kairi. She thinks she's in love with Roxas. The funny thing is, so is Namine. YAY ROMANTIC RIVALS.

This chapter took FOREVER to write. Because I kept making Roxas too much of a jerkass, or not crazy enough. After looking through this and revising again and again, I got this.

I cannot write Scrooge McDuck's dialogue for crap. So you know what I did? I sat with my PSP and watched the cutscene in BBS where he gave Ven the tickets, and went from there. I SUCK! :D and then I still couldn't write it so I got rid of most of his lines. I'M JUST TERRIBLE YAY ME!

You reviewers are awesome, do you know that? I love you guys. And all of the people who read this story, and alerted or faved it. You guys are the reason why I continue this.

Did I ever mention that I don't own KH? Because I don't, nor do I want to. The fanbase can be very scary. D:

Dedicated to this overly long AN, everyone who reviewed, and that t-shirt from sharkrobot . com that I **am** getting. Oh, and Roxas. I'm sorry for making your life suck.

* * *

Kairi pulled back from the kiss with a giggle. "Weren't expecting that, were you?" She stood up and brushed the sand off of her knees. "Roxas...you don't know how happy I am right now. Selphie always told me that you weren't real, but here you are. I knew that my feelings..." she paused to correct herself, "_our_ feelings couldn't be false."

"You know that I like you, right? The girls at school, they always teased me for not wanting a boyfriend. When I told them that I was waiting for you, they didn't believe me. They all had boyfriends, who they had done things with...while I waited for you. Because..." her face turned a pale shade of pink. "I wanted to save it for you..." She trailed off, then leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Roxas, I want you to be my first..._everything_."

Roxas's mind was trying to wrap itself around the idea that not only did Kairi think that he was _that bastard_, she had kissed him. _Kissed him._

He heard her speaking, but it was all noise in the background to him; nothing more important than the wind rustling the leaves of the tree he was laying on or the waves crashing against the shoreline. He nodded weakly, somehow thinking that she would be distracted with whatever was happening long enough for his mind to work again.

"So...umm..." She looked away, her cheeks now a dusty rose. "Roxas, will you..." She took a deep breath, trying to figure out the perfect way to ask. Eventually she settled on saying what the other girls always said. "Will you go out with me?"

Noticing his confused expression, she elaborated. After all, he had been off...off...somewhere. Doing something. Something that probably didn't involve teenagers, or dating. "I mean...will you be my boyfriend?"

He kept nodding weakly, barely noticing that she had broken out into a huge smile. It didn't even register in his brain what had just happened.

Kairi's smile grew, and only genuine happiness radiated from it. Tears formed at the edge of her vision, soon breaking over the barrier and streaming down her face. She leaned down and kissed him again. "Thank you...thank you so much, Roxas."

His mind went into overdrive. The world spun around him, and his entire body went numb, except for his lips, still tingling from the sensation of Kairi's. They were soft, and had a slight taste of cherries.

Roxas _hated _cherries.

He wasn't sure what just happened, but whatever it was, he knew that it was bad. He knew that it was Kairi's fault. He shouldn't have expected much out of her, considering that she was _Sora's _friend, even if she barely remembered. Even if she thought that Roxas was _Sora._

His mind was whirling too fast to figure out what to do. Maybe it was pure instinct, or maybe it was fate, deciding where he had to go next, but he ended up falling off of the tree and into a dark corridor.

He landed on the floor of the corridor with a thud. With a small groan, he pushed himself up. The portal had already closed behind him, but there was a bright light at the other end of the tunnel. Rather than question where he was going, or how the portal formed when he didn't consciously summon it, he began to walk to the other side.

* * *

Kairi stared at the spot where Roxas had been. What happened? He was there just a second ago. Why had he left her so suddenly? They were finally together again, but only for a tantalizing few minutes.

"Roxas...why?" She whispered. She tried to blink away the tears at the corners of her eyes. They stung her eyes and made her vision blurry.

He had finally been delivered back to her, and yet he left so suddenly. He didn't even give her a single word explaining why. She didn't even get a goodbye.

Kairi was on the verge of a complete breakdown. Rather than give in and fall into despair, her heart whispered something that gave her hope.

_He left to find Riku._

Yes, that must have been why. He left to go find their best friend; once Riku was found, they would come back and stay with her. And they would finally be happy.

A smile returned to her face as the tears were blinked away. She didn't need them anymore. She left the small island, crossing the plank bridge to go to her boat. Her parents would want her back soon, because dinner would be ready by now.

When they saw her, they wouldn't understand why she was so happy. They wouldn't remember the boy with the eyes like the sea, who always played with her and Riku. They wouldn't know who Roxas was.

And that was fine with her.

* * *

The dark corridor had led him to Radiant Garden—no, her corrected himself. Right now, it was Hollow Bastion. He stood near the town square, in a small pathway next to a large metal...thing. Curious, he pressed his hand against it, recoiling at the bitter cold that seeped into his palm. It seemed familiar, like he had seen it before. Probably when he was playing one of the games. Maybe it was the second one.

_The one where he died._

"Oh, hello there!" A voice greeted him. Behind a stack of boxes clambered out a talking duck, who looked a lot like Donald.

It quickly clicked in the boys mind; this was Scrooge McDuck, the duck (person?) who had given Ven the tickets to Disney Town. If he could get a ticket from him, then he could go to Disney Town and check for proof of Ven's existence there. Since he was a winner of the Festival of Dreams, if he was remembering the name right, they would surely have his victory on record.

"Uhh...hey," Roxas said, unsure of what to say. Might as well lie, since it wasn't like it was that big of a deal. As long as it helped him in the end and didn't cause too much trouble.

"Now, I gotta ask ye, ever heard of a place called Disney Town?" The duck asked, hope shimmering in his eyes. Roxas nodded, positive that this was going to end up working in his benefit, which it did.

Scrooge's face lit up with joy. "Then take this. It's a lifetime pass to Disney Town." He said, shoving the ticket into his hands.

The boy looked between the ticket and the duck's happy face. "Uhh...thanks."

"Anytime! Now, how 'bout helpin me a lil' bit..." Roxas tuned out Scrooge, instead focusing on his new ticket into Disney Town. With a small smirk, he opened a dark corridor and left.

"...So, what'dya say?" Scrooge finished, but when he turned around, the boy was gone.

* * *

Disneytown hadn't changed at all since Ven had been there. The town was still bursting with color and life, and happy toons walked around, enjoying their simple, carefree lives.

Roxas didn't have time for any of that. He had to find the record vault, wherever it was. If it was in the castle, guarded by a plethora of guards, then he would break into the castle and cut down anyone in his way.

He had to know that Birth By Sleep really happened. He had to know that it was real; that Ven was real. Before, he had never really wanted anything. It wasn't that he wanted the consolation that Ven was real; no, he needed to know. He needed it as much as he needed air to breathe. He wasn't sure why, but he didn't care.

He stalked through the town, an air of determination floating around him. The townsfolk watched him, confused, but amazed at the boy. They wondered why a boy in all black, with such a serious, almost angry face, would go through a happy place like Disneytown. It was a world to have fun in, not a world to stomp around angrily in.

He stopped when he saw a few rabbits appear out of thin air. They walked around on two legs, just like he did, but they were white rabbits. They watched him, black ovals seemingly seeing right through him. They all held ornate white and silver hammers bigger than themselves. On the same arm that held the hammer was a wristband that was oddly familiar; thick black lines surrounded the edges of the checkered accessory.

They filed out into a line, blocking his path. They were like statues, except only their triangular pink noses moved, giving an occasional twitch. The one in the middle held a bundle of fabric, though he couldn't make out what it was.

Roxas had seen those rabbits before; he was sure of it. One of them had given him the gun that got rid of those monsters. They had been the ones that he had been seeing the past few days. Why were they watching him?

"What do you want?" He asked quietly. The rabbit holding the bundle of fabric stepped out of the line, lifting the bundle of clothes closer to him. He slowly took the bundle from the rabbit, making sure that he was doing the right thing. It gave him a quick nod, then looked back and blinked at the others. They all blinked in unison, and were gone. He looked around, confused. There was no flash or light or anything – they vanished into thin air, just as quickly as they had appeared.

He looked down at the bundle of fabric, recognizing them as his other clothes. The ones he wore after he 'quit the Organization.' A small note was messily taped to the top of the bundle. He pulled it off, noticing the change from previous notes he had gotten. Instead of the short, choppy sentences he had gotten before, these were a normal length. The forced, tiny printing was replaced with large, but messy scrawls.

_If you insist on going through Disneytown, at least wear these clothes. It'll help you blend in easier._

_Please, Roxas. Stop what you're doing. This crazy chase that you're on...it'll only bring pain. Don't do this to yourself. Don't do this to the people who love you. Yes, Ven is real, but don't go looking for him. The Sue's magic kept you from passing out in Castle Oblivion, but now that it's gone, who knows what will happen to you if you go there._

_Go back to your friends. Go back to eating ice cream every day on top of the clock tower. Just...whatever you do, don't go any farther._

He could easily read the first two sentences, but the rest of the note was covered in wet splotches, making the ink bleed out all over the paper. A faint outline of the original words was barely visible, but he couldn't make it out. It didn't occur to him that maybe, just maybe if he let the note dry out he would be able to read it. So he let it fall to the ground, ignorant to the note's warning.

Cradling the bundle of clothes in his arms like some sort of twisted baby, he found the nearest bathroom went to go change. After changing, he started to walk out of the bathroom when he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. It was amazing how similar his 'Twilight Town' clothes were to Ven's. Though in Roxas's mind, Ven was the one who got the cooler clothes.

The townsfolk no longer stared at him, though he didn't really mind in the first place. Right now, the only thing that mattered was finding a way to get to the records.

He walked by the racetrack, deciding that he didn't want to watch people go-kart around even if there would probably be a variety of people there. He could hear the excited chatter of the spectators and the roar of the engines from right outside the ticket booth, and that was good enough for him.

He was about to continue on when he noticed Queen Minnie walking towards him. She gave him a small curtsy, then with a sweet, genuine smile, she greeted him. "Oh, hello. Are you new?"

"Uhh..." Roxas looked around nervously. She was the perfect person to ask about finding the records, but he needed a cover story. He glanced back down to see her staring at him, expecting an answer. With absolutely no idea about what his excuse was going to be, he gave her a response. "I'd really like to look at the records for the previous winners of the Festival of Dreams," Roxas explained, then added as an afterthought, "Your Majesty."

Minnie gave him a small giggle. "That wasn't what I asked, but since you're so polite, I will. Follow me." She turned around and started to walk in the direction of the magnificent castle towering above the town. Roxas followed, surprised at how fast the mouse could walk.

"If you wouldn't mind me asking, why do you want to look at the records?" She asked as they walked through the town. Civilians left and right bowed at her presence, not even thinking about getting up until she was several feet away. Roxas merely watched them in confusion. She didn't order them to do anything, yet they all bowed without a single moment's hesitation. He wondered why.

Luckily, he had figured out a good excuse as to why he wanted to look. "I have a...friend. They told me that about ten years ago, there was a three-way win of the festival. I wanted to know if that was true or not."

She stopped. She closed her eyes, trying to recall a far-away memory. "I believe," she began slowly, "there was. There were three people who all tied."

Within an instant, he was grabbing her shoulders and violently shaking her back and forth. "Who!" He demanded, his voice desperate and pleading. "What were their names!" He couldn't name exactly what it was, or why it was there, but there was a need, shrieking inside of his head, making his body do things he didn't tell it to.

Minnie could only stare at him in a mixture of shock and horror. Roxas (or rather, the part of Roxas that was normally in control; the part that had just been so forcibly had control taken from it) thought it was because he had grabbed her so suddenly.

In reality, it was because of the demented, pleading look he was giving her. His face kept contorting from anger to desperation so fast that her eyes could only register a mixture between the two – a pained grimace that drove fear deep into her heart. She had personally met some of the most evil and twisted creatures in the entire Realm of Light, yet the face that this strange boy was making gave her made them and their actions look like kittens playing with balls of yarn.

All of the townsfolk nearby stopped, shocked that someone would lay a hand on the queen. The ones that saw his face screamed and ran away, leaving other citizens in a state of panic. The monster boy was attacking the queen, but they were all too frightened to help.

Roxas, growing more desperate by the second, sank down to the ground until he was kneeling. He stared at the ground and muttered. "Please..."

"Terra, Aqua, and Ventus," she whispered. "Their names were Terra, Aqua, and Ventus." The sound of her own voice helped to drive away the picture the boy's twisted grimace. She felt his grip on her shoulders loosen enough for her to escape, and she bolted for the castle without a single word. When the Queen ran, the few remaining townsfolk bolted as well. Anything that could make the usually confident Queen flee in terror was something terrible.

Roxas didn't even notice the Queen leave. To keep himself from falling face first into the cement, he set his hands on the ground. His fingers clawed the surface of the colorful sidewalk, ripping his nails off and leaving scarlet trails on the stone.

"He's...real," he muttered, overcome with sheer joy. Warm tears rolled down his cheeks, gently falling and hitting the ground, diluting the small trails of blood to light red puddles. He couldn't even feel the nerves in his fingers screaming in pain.


	5. Puppet

It feels nice to be able to write this again. So many stories to work on, though! I have like 5 of them to work on. xDx I'm crazy, but they'll all get finished. Eventually.

This chapter...used to be different. A lot different. If you ever read the old one, I feel sorry for you. It was handled sloppily, and I like this version a lot better. Yes, Roxas is a major jerk. Yes, he's slightly OOC. He's also slightly crazy. Also I love how different the writing is. The first few segments I barely touched, and they were written months ago. And then you get to the last two segments, which I re-wrote from scratch, and it's like...BLAM. I can't believe I let so many typos slip by. I got a lot better at editing, though! :D Yay! 

Man, is it just me, or is this chapter...batshit crazy, for lack of a better term? Ugh, I should stop rambling. Enjoy, and please please please leave a review, even if it's "oh this sucks." I'd love to hear your thoughts about this. I'm willing to answer any and all questions you may have. :3 **  
**

**0 X 0 X 0**

The Gray Area was unusually quiet. All of the members had been sent off on their mission for the day – except for Axel. Saix stood in his normal place, sorting the papers in his arm with a cold, detached air. Axel lounged on the couch, trying his best not to drift off into sleep.

"Axel, I need to ask you something." Saix's words broke the comfortable silence, jolting Axel out of his half-nap. He yawned, and started to stretch; not to bother Saix, but to honestly stretch his tired muscles.

"What is it?"

Saix fingered through his papers, pulling one out. "Did you see Roxas yesterday? He never reported in after his mission," he told him, the paper fluttering uselessly at his side. Axel eyed it with concern, wondering why he had pulled it out in the first place.

"I didn't see him. What, you think he ran away or something?" Axel joked, snorting in amusement. Like Roxas would ever leave the Organization. What reason would he have to?

Saix remained silent, and a foreboding realization set upon Axel; he actually did think that Roxas ran away. "I thought that maybe he might have forgotten to check in. But nobody has seen him since yesterday morning." Saix explained, sounding almost bored. Axel tried not to let himself get irritated over Saix's tone. Roxas wasn't just some machine that they could use until he broke, no matter what Xemnas thought. Both Roxas and Xion were people, and they were so much more than just heart collectors. They were people.

"Anyway, I have your mission for today," Saix commented, steering the subject in an entirely different direction. He read off the paper, completely ignoring Axel's confused expression. "There's been some odd activity in Disney Town. There was some disturbance, and the Queen's army has been called in. I want you to find out threatened her enough to make her use her troops."

"Got it," Axel said, trying to keep his nervousness hidden with a cheesy grin. This was bad, whatever it was. He could tell. Saix opened a dark corridor for him, waiting with barely veiled impatience. Axel gave him a -hopefully- convincing grin as he snatched the paper and stepped inside.

**0 X 0 X 0 X**

Disney Town was usually such a lively, happy place, but when Axel exited the dark corridor, he found himself in a ghost town. It was like all joy had abandoned the town. There were no children playing in the street, no people lazily enjoying snacks outside of restaurants. The usual whirr of the go-karts was absent, leaving him in an unsettling silence.

He set off towards the castle, hoping that he'd be able to eavesdrop on someone. He quickly found out that the soldiers were already making their way through the town in small groups. He hid in the shadows, silently cursing his coat for standing out so brightly against the colorful scenery.

From what Saix's report said, he expected the entire army to be out patrolling the streets, but after a bit of recon, there were only five separate groups of four walking around. The Queen was with one; the soldiers in that squad were dressed more intricately, with elaborate weapons at their side.

Axel decided to follow the Queen's group. He stalked behind them, making sure to stay as quiet as possible. It was like the time that he and Roxas had been watching that big cat-guy who had been poking around Agrabah. They had to run several times, due to their target's habit of suddenly turning around. However, following someone alone was much simpler, thankfully.

After following them for several minutes, a few of the guards started up a conversation with the Queen. "Your Highness, what exactly are we looking for that's so dangerous?"

The Queen sighed, regret flowing through her voice. "It's a boy."

"A boy?" Another asked, thoroughly confused.

"A boy. He was nice enough, until..." She grew quiet and hung her head. When she spoke again, her voice was trembling. "Something was wrong with him...something that I've never seen before. His expression terrified me. He was just a lost, confused boy, yet he was so broken and twisted..." She trailed off, unable to speak.

"But why do you need us?" One of the guards piped up.

"Because...I can't face him myself. He could be extremely dangerous, and I just want to bring him back to the castle without causing too much of a struggle. Maybe there we could figure out what's wrong."

"So that's why you ordered the entire town to stay inside today." A guard said.

The Queen nodded. "I believe he's in the same place. We should find him soon."

Was it...no, it couldn't be. They couldn't be talking about Roxas, yet something inside of Axel tried to convince him that they were. Giving into the voice, he kept following the group, trying to look ahead for any sight of Roxas. He needed to find his friend before they did.

The group walked slowly; the Queen allowed her guards to look down and check each and every alleyway. Axel couldn't take it anymore. They were just too slow. He went through a dark corridor, coming out a few yards in front of them, hidden from their view by a large building.

He sped through the town, checking all of the main streets. If Roxas _was_ still in Disney Town and not somewhere else, he would be in plain sight. The boy would be too wrapped up in something or other to move.

Axel was right. In the middle of a smaller street, a little ways off the main path through Disney Town, was Roxas. His coat was next to him, splayed out like a corpse. The boy was wearing new, odd clothes...that somehow felt familiar. He had seen those before. Somewhere, so far away he couldn't reach the memory.

He was on the ground, occasionally twitching in a fitful sleep. There were dull brown marks etched across the ground, sharply contrasting with the colorful sidewalk. Axel walked closer to the boy, crouching down and scratching at the marks with his finger. It was...blood. There was _blood_ on the ground.

He looked over the sleeping boy, gently rolling him onto his back to to check him for injuries. There weren't any visible ones, and the clothes were in perfect condition. They were only a little big on him...

...Axel then realized that it didn't look like Roxas was breathing. He took a deep breath, trying to keep himself from panicking. He pressed his hand against the boy's chest, sighing in relief at the feeling of his chest slowly rising and falling from underneath his hand.

Below Roxas's steady breathing, Axel thought he felt something. He took his glove off, then rested his hand against the boy's chest again. The feel of the fabric -probably cotton, he guessed- against his fingers was alien after not taking his gloves off after so long.

His thoughts were interrupted by a steady beat underneath his fingers. There was no mistaking it – he was feeling a heartbeat. Roxas's heartbeat. "How? Why? But...I thought..." He shook his head. They had to get out of there first.

He heard the sound of footsteps a little ways away, but he didn't see the guards just yet. He opened a corridor, then scooped up Roxas in his arms and left.

When the guards came, they saw the dried blood on the ground, and the coat splayed out on the ground: the only signs that the boy was ever there.

**0 X 0 X 0 X**

_Pain. Pain harsh and brutal like ripping and tearing through flesh and fire burning his skin away and the screaming and laughter and pain pain pain_

_He's begging, in a hoarse voice that he knows is his own but the pain strangles it away and it doesn't stop even though he begs and pleads and cries but the tears only burn his eyes and melt his skin like liquid fire_

_He can feel the ripping and the pain and it doesn't stop but it'll never stop puppets don't get free will and the strings pull him along and pull his jaw until he can't scream and now he can only hear laughter cruel and harsh and mocking just like the pain make it stop make it stop can't break free can't escape not ever WHY WON'T YOU LET ME GO_

"Roxas! Roxas, wake up!"

Roxas was shaken awake, jostled until he came back into consciousness. He blearily blinked his eyes open, but kept them half-shut until his eyes adjusted to the blinding whiteness that surrounded him.

Once he finally regained his sight, he looked around, and instantly his eyes darted to a shock of red hair just a little ways away from him.

"It...it was just a nightmare..." He muttered quietly, shuddering at the ghostly touches of his dream. "...right?" He looked to Axel for reassurance, who could only give him a somber smile.

"Yeah. It was just a nightmare," he said, reaching out to ruffle Roxas's hair.

_Fingers in his scalp, grabbing and yanking and pulled and screaming and yelling and more laughter, rich with evil and puppet strings that forced him to stay still even though he didn't want this please stop please leave DON'T TOUCH ME_

Roxas heard screaming. He didn't realize he was the one screaming until Axel came back into his view, murmuring soft words of comfort, but staying at arm's length away from him.

He took several long, shuddering breaths, and tried to regain his composure. He was on the floor now, and the blanket had entangled itself around his legs like a cocoon. I-I don't know what happened..." Roxas muttered, trying to push away the panic and fear still racing through him. "Something's wrong with me, Axel."

Axel's expression darkened, and he refused to meet Roxas's eyes. It was the same look he got time after time, whenever he was hiding something... The redhead scratched the back of his head. Another sign that he was hiding something.

"Axel." Roxas's voice wavered, but his face was stern and set, unwilling to budge. "What are you hiding?" He demanded, trying to conceal his weaknesses with a sharp edge.

Axel sighed, still refusing to look at him. "Rox, you're right. Something is wrong with you." He stayed still, and Roxas waited for him to continue. "Were you scared in that nightmare? Did you feel fear?"

The blond nodded slowly. "Yeah...fear, and panic..." He trailed off, but quietly added, "and pain..." at the end. Axel's expression changed to something distant and unreadable for a brief second. He finally turned to face him, a small smirk settled firmly onto his face. It wasn't a real one, though. It was only a facade.

"Well, I expected the pain." He joked, but Roxas didn't react at all, so his mood sobered. "Roxas, you're not supposed to be able to feel the other two. Nobodies can't feel, remember?"

"_Regular_ Nobodies can't feel. _Normal _Nobodies can't feel," Roxas countered, drawing his knees to his chest. "I'm a special Nobody, remember?" His lips turned upward in a smirk, full of bitterness and memories of all the lies he had been spoon-fed.

"I..." Axel trailed off, shaking his head. It was odd, Roxas thought, to see Axel so somber and serious. Usually he could at least crack a joke, but his last attempt had failed. "Are you sure you're even a Nobody? Because...you have one thing that the rest of us don't."

"A heart." Axel stared at him in shock. "Yeah, but it's not mine. I have to give it back." He couldn't keep Ven's heart. Sure, he could feel and all, and he could use it, but it wasn't _his_. He didn't deserve it. Ven did.

After a few moments, Axel managed to regain some of his composure. "What are you talking about? You have a heart that's not yours? Are you-" he cut himself off, but Roxas could tell what he was going to say. It was painfully obvious – so obvious, even an idiot like him could tell.

"Crazy? Yeah, I think I am." Roxas's voice had lost any hint of compassion it had, leaving a cold, bitter shell behind. He sneered. "You don't understand, do you? I don't understand either, but that's normal, isn't it? I'm just an oblivious idiot. A puppet. A tool."

"No, you're not!" Roxas glared at him, quieting the older member instantly.

"You're lying again, aren't you?" Axel opened his mouth to protest, but Roxas stood up and left his room. He paused in the doorway and gave one final look back at Axel. He felt a harsh sting at being so cruel, but Axel deserved it. He was a liar. A jerk. He didn't understand – he'd never understand. "You always say you're my friend, but I've learned something. Friend's don't lie to each other."

He left Axel sitting there, ignoring the sting of his words as he walked down the hall. He looked up above him, and he could have swore he saw little strings dangling down from the ceiling, gleaming like spider's silk.

These strings were going to be ripped off. He didn't want to be a puppet anymore.

**0 X 0 X 0 X**

The holes were getting bigger. Namine was afraid to touch them, but she was pretty sure that the holes were big enough for her to stick her foot through.

It wasn't a good sign.

At first, she thought that maybe the wall itself was crumbling, and on the other side, she could see Twilight Town or maybe another room in the mansion. But eventually curiosity got the best of her.

She slipped out of her chair, making sure to set her sketchbook and her crayons on the table. She stopped in front of the crumbling wall, and crouched down until she was eye level with one of the holes.

A strange, alien light came from it. She reached out to touch it, but something deep inside of her warned against it. She wasn't supposed to – that was a place that she didn't belong in.

She sat there for several minutes, trying to see through the glow, only to fail. With a soft sigh, Namine stood up and returned to her chair, her hands in her lap. "Something bad is going to happen..." She whispered. "And I don't think I can stop it."

Defeated, she decided to try to take her mind off of the issue. She grabbed her sketchbook and flipped to the page with her newest drawing on it.

It wasn't of Kairi and Sora, like she had expected, but of Kairi and Roxas. She didn't realize it until she had finished, but the picture was probably one of the best she had ever drawn. One of the best, and one of the most terrifying.

Roxas looked straight at her, eyes wide with fear and confusion. It was as if the drawing spoke to her, telling her _this isn't right_ over and over, in a hushed, panicked whisper. She couldn't see Kairi's face, but something about the girl seemed happy – filled with false hope.

She wanted...no, she _needed _to show Roxas the picture and ask if it meant anything to him when he stopped by to talk to her, but he hadn't. Ever since they had met in this universe, he stopped by every single day, but yesterday, he never came. It looked like it was going to be that way today as well, since it was getting late and he still hadn't arrived.

She wanted to go look for him, but she didn't know where to start. He could still be at the castle, but she was afraid to look. Afraid that he wouldn't be there. If anyone besides Axel or Xion caught her there, the results wouldn't be good. And if DiZ found out about her sneaking out...she shuddered at the thought.

So she settled down into her seat, flipped to a new page, and started to draw a new picture. For now, it was all she could do.


End file.
